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Websleuths News

Join Websleuths Radio for the final discussion of THE KILLING SEASON
with Josh Zemam, Rachel Mills and special guests including Bob Kolker author of Lost Girls

At first, it seemed like a bizarre case of a middle-class family who packed up their home and fled to another continent for a new life. Neighbours of the Dupont de Ligonnès and their four children called the police when they noticed the family home in the north-western city of Nantes seemed unusually deserted. The children's school had been notified of a "sudden job transfer" to Australia, the family's wardrobes had been emptied and the letter-box was taped-up with a note "return all mail to sender".

But this week when police looked closer at the townhouse – and the suspicious building work on the patio – they found a severed human leg buried in the garden. Further digs revealed a one-legged corpse, and four others:

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Frenchman Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes, 50, is feared to have murdered all five members of his family at their home in Nantes, as well as the family's two pet Labrador dogs.

His abandoned car was found some 400 miles away in the south of France in a town where he is also thought to have made a cash withdrawal.
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'Family friends had said the father claimed to be a secret agent who was leaving as part of a witness protection programme.'
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Shooting 5 people, mostly adults... in the same house... one after another. Did he maybe march them separately into one room at gunpoint and tie them up then go get another? Doesn't seem like he could shoot too many before the others could escape.... Or... was there more than one shooter or at least an accomplice?

Shooting 5 people, mostly adults... in the same house... one after another. Did he maybe march them separately into one room at gunpoint and tie them up then go get another? Doesn't seem like he could shoot too many before the others could escape.... Or... was there more than one shooter or at least an accomplice?

I'm probably just being dense on this one. Help me out here.

Wife Agnes 49, daughter Anne, 16, and three sons were apparently shot several times in the head while asleep, around April 3 or 4, and tests are under way to see if they were drugged first.

But this week when police looked closer at the townhouse – and the suspicious building work on the patio – they found a severed human leg buried in the garden. Further digs revealed a one-legged corpse, and four others

Shooting 5 people, mostly adults... in the same house... one after another. Did he maybe march them separately into one room at gunpoint and tie them up then go get another? Doesn't seem like he could shoot too many before the others could escape.... Or... was there more than one shooter or at least an accomplice?

I'm probably just being dense on this one. Help me out here.

One of those 3 articles below had a quote from a worker at a shooting range saying that the dad asked him about silencers and also saying he had seen the dad with a silencer. They were shot while they were asleep, it looks like.

I think the Guardian chose an awkward way to introduce the awkward idea that the mother may have been complicit in some of the secrecy (though not the deaths):

and

Rest in peace, may they all.

But the other articles put all the messages about the family leaving the area as being from the dad. When the mom asked her friend to pray for her, it really doesn't indicate anything except things were really bad at home. Just annoyed me how the Guardian acted like this was such a perplexing mystery. Maybe they should look in their archives for "Entwistle."

But the other articles put all the messages about the family leaving the area as being from the dad. When the mom asked her friend to pray for her, it really doesn't indicate anything except things were really bad at home. Just annoyed me how the Guardian acted like this was such a perplexing mystery. Maybe they should look in their archives for "Entwistle."

The Sunday Mail and the Telegraph articles both quote this snippet:

Mantes prosecutor Xavier Ronsin said: “Messages of a rambling and contradictory nature had been left by the couple.

But I do wonder if the actions of the wife and mother, in perhaps "going along" with certain things, did enable somewhat the madness of the husband and father - perhaps he duped her into the "going to Australia" notion, and she thought all would be well.

I am reminded, somewhat, of the John List family murders - both of the men were devout Christians - List a Lutheran, Dupont de Ligonnès a Catholic; both killed every family member living with him. It would not surprise me at all if Dupont de Ligonnès were acting from a religious mania, as List did. We shall see.

Interesting that you characterize both sets of murders as stemming from religious mania. I can see that angle. Both men had lost financial control, and were deeply indoctrinated and committed to religious characterizations of the Father as provider and protector.

A question that always arises around patriarchal familicide is "Why did he think he had to take his whole family with him?" This gives a peek into that mindset. I don't want to set anything off here--really, really I don't--but are there any instances of familicide in the Old Testament?

upon edit: Just googled that and no biblical refs popped up; however, I did see it noted that some Christian familicidal fathers have noted their faith in the after-life as a reason for viewing their acts as sanctioned (e.g., Christian Longo, and I think List himself). I don't know though.... I can see that more as deflection from their deeper need to avoid shame.

Interesting that you characterize both sets of murders as stemming from religious mania. I can see that angle. Both men had lost financial control, and were deeply indoctrinated and committed to religious characterizations of the Father as provider and protector.

A question that always arises around patriarchal familicide is "Why did he think he had to take his whole family with him?" This gives a peek into that mindset. I don't want to set anything off here--really, really I don't--but are there any instances of familicide in the Old Testament?

upon edit: Just googled that and no biblical refs popped up; however, I did see it noted that some Christian familicidal fathers have noted their faith in the after-life as a reason for viewing their acts as sanctioned (e.g., Christian Longo, and I think List himself). I don't know though.... I can see that more as deflection from their deeper need to avoid shame.

Yes, me too on the googling around, and yes, List alleged he'd not killed himself along with the family on the promise of "getting together with the family again in heaven" notion - this from a guy who shot his oldest son TEN TIMES. The Old Testament God did command Abraham to kill his son Isaac, something I remember less from my Lutheran catechizing than I do from Mr Bobby Dylan:

Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”
God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin’ you better run”
Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
God says, “Out on Highway 61”

Ah - love that song. But, really, familicide in the Old Testament would have been a drop in a bloody bucket; here's a list of OT God's going over the top and slaying anyone who so much as looked at Him cross-eyed: Old Testament Atrocities.

I do believe John List killed his family for his stated reason; yes, he had money problems too, but I doubt he could have led such an apparently conscience-free existence for almost two decades of freedom were he not mentally (and dementedly) "right with the Lord." The jury's out on M. Dupont de Ligonnès's reasoning for his (apparent) rash deed.